For most people today, traveling is a luxury. For the original cowboys of the American West, it was a necessity.
Pharrell Williams explored the crossroads between the two with his third menswear collection for Louis Vuitton, which featured exclusive takes on workwear staples, including a collaboration with Timberland that he teased over the weekend to generate buzz around to the parade, after their spectacular star-studded presentation. debuted last season.
The guests, including Bradley Cooper, Jackson Wang and the K-pop band Riize, made the journey to the Louis Vuitton Foundation on the outskirts of Paris, an adventure that involved walking through dark forests and passing through a narrow gap in a safety barrier for those forced to abandon their cars in traffic jams.
At the show venue, a tent with wraparound projections of a canyon view, guests were greeted with the kind of soft rock tunes one would expect to hear in a Winnipeg bar in the '70s (Bachmann-Turner Overdrive, anyone? ?). When the first model emerged in a fringed white coat and jeans, holding a turquoise Speedy bag, Native American voices filled the air.
What followed at times veered dangerously close to Ralph Lauren territory.
After planting his brand's codes last season, including a big push on the Speedy and a new pixelated pattern called Damoflage, Williams set about exploring the seemingly endless capabilities of Vuitton's ateliers with Western-inflected pieces that were showcases for the high-end craftsmanship.
Think embossed leather jackets and chaps; suede suits with turquoise jewel buttons; denim with floral pearl and sequin embroidery, or a leather coat adorned with a Damier check pattern.
The details extended to the accessories, which included cowhide Speedys and distressed Steamers that looked like they'd just come off a stagecoach; cowboy hats adorned with buckled bands and Stetson boots made with Texas manufacturer Goodyear and finished at Vuitton's Rochambeau Ranch factory, opened in 2019 by then-US President Donald Trump.
Among his cast of characters was the outlaw in his fox fur chub, the dandy in his custom-made black coat, and the cowboy in a buffalo plaid shirt and fringed jeans, a blanket rolled up under one arm. But Williams took pains to avoid good-bad scenarios, offering an inclusive vision of the Wild West.
Speaking to guests after the show, he said he was aware of the risk of being misunderstood, so he invited artists from the Dakota and Lakota nations, working under the creative direction of Dee Jay Two Bears of the Standing Rock Sioux tribe, to work in some of the accessories.
The show concluded with a performance by Native Voices of Resistance, a group comprised of singers from Native American nations across North America.
“I felt like when you see cowboys portrayed, you only see a few versions. You never really get to see what some of the original jeans are really like. They look like us, they look like me. “They look black, they look Native American,” Williams explained backstage.
“Telling your story and telling your people's story to the best of your ability, and doing it with candor and love, is an overwhelming feeling to accomplish, and it felt like we did, like the feeling in the room felt like a lot. love. And that was the goal, and I thank God that we had the opportunity to achieve it,” he added.
Vuitton could still face some consequences for using indigenous culture in a commercial setting. Not long ago, Dior, the LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton brand, was forced to pull an advertisement for its best-selling Sauvage fragrance that featured a Native American dancer, following an outcry on social media.
So why take the risk? “It's a world-class luxury traveler brand — that's what we are,” Williams said. “One of the things I'm supposed to do is take the house to places, tell stories and give a platform to the different destinations we go to and how they inspire us.”
That suggests Williams will continue to rely on themes for his collections. However, this one felt more authentic by referencing his personal style, through workwear-inspired pieces like Carhartt-style carpenter jeans, muscle nubuck jackets, distressed denim, and orange work vests, as well as Timberland boots that have been adopted by hip-hop. community.
“Workwear has always been important to people in the rap community and our demographic because a lot of times life is cold, and life can be hard and tough, and when you endure all these types of conditions, you want something. that will wear out and last,” she said.
“And Timberland, it just makes sense. “It's something we love, but at the same time, whether you're in the neighborhood or somewhere in a factory, Timberlands last a long time,” he continued. “If you're going to spend your disposable income at a time like this, it has to be on something that's actually going to last.”
Of course, Vuitton's versions are unlikely to end up in a factory, especially the silky soft nubuck boots with the embossed monogram. But the limited-edition full monogram version, made of leather with 18-karat gold hardware and carried in its own trunk, is sure to be a good investment. It is rumored that only 50 pairs will hit the market, so another gold rush is expected.
